Mail-box.



PATENTED APR. 18, 1905. P. A. SHELBY.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED 13120.31, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Witnesses Attorneys:

I f I PATENTED APR. 18, 1905. P. A. SHELBY.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED D110. 31, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Wxtnesses Patented April 18, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

PETER A. SHELEY, OF LOUISVILLE. KENTUCKY.

lVlAlL-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,476, dated April 18, 1905.

Application filed December 31, 1904. Serial No. 239,190.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, PETER A. SHELEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Mail-Box, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices employed in the collecting of mail, and has for its principal object to provide means whereby the mail may be gathered at various depositboxes without being handled by the carrier or collector, all of the mail being placed in a ba or similar receptacle which is automatibca lly locked in the act of taking it from the A further object of the invention is to provide a mail-box with an inner receptacle in which the letters or other mail may be deposited and to arrange in the box means for automatically closing said receptacle in advance of its withdrawal from the box, an empty receptacle being then placed within the box in a position to receive mail deposited until a subsequent collecting period.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size, and minor details of the structure may be made without departing,

from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly in section, illustrating a mail-collecting device constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same, showing the box in closed position and the mouth of the receptacle open in readiness to receive letters or other articles. Fig. 3 is a similar view with the lid or cover of the box open and showing the manner in which the mouth of the receptacle is automatically closed.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The present invention is designed to overcome these and other disadvantages by providing small auxiliary receptacles which may be provided with numbers corresponding to the numbers on the boxes, these receptacles being placed while empty in the boxes at each collection and removed at the next subsequent collection, the receptacles being automatically locked during the operation of removing them, so that the contents are not accessible except by a person at the post-office having the necessary keys. The collector is compelled to turn in a number of bags corresponding to the number of boxes in his territory, whether said bags be filled or empty, and on starting each trip the collector is supplied with the proper number of open bags to be placed in the boxes from which the locked bags are removed.

In the drawings, 10 indicates the casing of a mail-box provided at the front with a door or flap 11, which may be opened in the usual manner for the deposit of mail, and at the bottom of the box is a door 12, provided with a suitable lock, the collector carrying the key to this look and opening each box for the removal of the mail therefrom.

Arranged within the box are two transversely-extending partitions 13 and 14, forming a curvedand comparatively contracted throat 14'. At the lower portion of the throat are arranged. a number of fingers 15, pivotally mounted on a transversely-extending rod 16, said fingers normally lying across the throat and retaining this position by gravity, so that it will be impossible for any person to withdraw a letter or other article by inserting a wire or the like downward through the throat. The opposite side walls of the box are further provided with bearings for the reception of the pintles of a locking flap 17, which may be moved to a position to engage the normally free ends of the fingers and lock the same from movement. To one of these pintles is secured a rocker-arm 18, that is connected by a link 19 to a rockerarm 20, carried by the door or cover 11. The

arrangement of the mechanism is such that when the door 11 is in closed position the locking-flap will assume the position shown in Fig. 2, and the fingers will yield under the Weight of any mail deposited in the box. When the door is moved to the open position shown in figure, the locking-flap will positively engage with said fingers and prevent movement thereof, so that the fingers cannot be thrust aside by any article inserted while the door is open.

At each side of the box are three camstrips 21, 22, and 23, these being arranged in spaced relation and forming cam-grooves 24 on opposite sides of the central cam-strip 22. This central cam-strip extends up to a point adjacent to the door 11, at which point it is comparatively narrow. The opposite end of the cam-strip 22 is widened and carries a pair of springreceptacle supports 25, these being preferably in the form of comparatively thin strips of spring metal which extend completely across the guideways 24.

The mail receptacles are in the form of bags 28, formed of textile or other material, and to the upper edges of the bag are secured metallic strips 29 by sewing or riveting, the ends of these strips being extended beyond the sides of the bag when the mouth of the latter is closed and engaging in the guidinggrooves 24. These strips are connected near their opposite ends by interpivoted links 30, and the strips when closed are automatically locked by a spring-lock of any desired charac ter, such a lock being indicated at 31 in Figs. 2 and 3.

The collector, in starting out from the postoffice or other central point, is supplied with a number of unlocked bags corresponding to the number of boxes in his collection-district, and, if necessary, these bags may be numbered to correspond to the numbers of the boxes in which they are to be placed.

When an empty bag is placed in position, it is bundled in the smallest possible compass and inserted at the top of the box after opening the door 11, the bottom of the bag being first inserted and the two locking-strips 29 being placed one on each side of the central cam-strips 22. When the door is closed, the bag will fall by gravity down through the contracted throat until the opposite ends of the locking-strips rest upon the yieldable supports 25. Durin this movement the mouth of the bag is open or a distance corresponding to the width of the strips 22 and approximately to the width of the throat, so that any mail passing down through the latter will be received Within the bag.

When the collector visits the box, he opens the bottom door and grasping the bag Withdraws the same, pulling downward with sufficient force to force the springs 25 aside and permit the locking-strips 29 to pass downward through the lower portions of the grooves 24. The strips 21 and 23 approach each other at a point below the strip 22, so that the two locking-strips are gradually forced toward each other as the bag is pulled out of the box, and said strips are forced into engagement to permit the closing of the spring-lock, so that the bag is automatically locked before its removal from the box.

The collector is thus compelled to remove each bag that is filled or empty and must place a fresh bag in position before leaving the box. This constitutes a check on the movement of the collector and at the same time prevents loss of mail by theft and delay of mail by'non-removal from the box.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. The combination with a receptacle, of means for holding the mouth of the receptacle in open position, and means forautomatically closing said mouth. after the latter and the holding means are separated.

2. The combination with a receptacle, of means for guiding articles in the open mouth thereof, and means for automatically closing said mouth after the receptacle and guiding means are detached.

3. The combination with a receptacle having a normally open mouth, of a receptacleinclosing casing, means for supporting the receptacle within the casing, said supporting means yielding as the receptacle is pulled from the box, and means for automatically closing the mouth of the receptacle after its detachment from said supporting means.

4. The combination with a casing, of a removable receptacle arranged therein and having at its mouth a pair of locking-strips, means for engaging said strips to open the mouth of the receptacle as it is inserted within the casing, and for moving said strips to locking position as the receptacle is removed.

5. The combination with a mail-box having a mail-guiding throat, of a removable mail-receptacle arranged at -the delivery end of the throat, locking-strips at the mouth of the receptacle, and cams engaging both strips and serving to move the same to closed position during the removal of the receptacle.

6. The combination with a mail-box, of a removable mail-receptacle arranged therein, locking-strips at the mouth of the receptacle, and cams arranged to engage and separate said strips and hold the mouth in open position, and to close said strips during the removal of the receptacle.

7. The combination with a mail-box having upper and lower doors, partitions arranged within the box and forming a contracted throat, spaced cams extending at the sides of the throat, a receptacle formed of flexible material insertible through the throat, locking-strips at the mouth of the receptacle,

said locking-strips being engaged by the cams, and yieldable supports for said lockingstrips.

8. The combination with a mail-box, having upper and lower doors, of a receptacle insertible through the upper door and removable through the bottom door, and an intermediate means for supporting the receptacle.

9. The combination with a casing, of a receptacle insertible at the upper portion and removable from the lower portion of said receptacle, and sets of cams arranged within the casing and engaging the mouth of the receptacle to open the latter as the receptacle is inserted, and to close the mouth as the receptacle is removed.

10. The combination with a casin having upper and lower doors, of a removabTe receptacle insertible at the upper door and removable through the lower door, means between the two doors for supporting the receptacle, and means for opening the mouth of the receptacle as it is inserted for retaining the mouth in open position, and for closing the mouth when the receptacle is withdrawn.

1 1. The combination with a mail-box having upper and lower doors, of cams arranged on each side of the box, a receptacle insertible at the upper door and removable at the lower door, said receptacle having strips at its mouth that project beyond the sides of the receptacle, said strips engaging the cams when the receptacle is inserted, thereby opening the mouth, the cams serving further to close said mouth during the withdrawal of the receptacle.

12. The combination with a mail-box having upper and lower doors, of partitions arranged within the box and forming a contracted throat, a cam extending through the throat at each side of the box, and widened at its lower end, auxiliary cams on each side of the central cam, said auxiliary cams having their lower ends arranged adjacent to each other, a removable mail-bag having closing-strips, the ends of which are arranged on opposite sides of the central cam, and yieldable supports for engaging and holding said strips in place.

13. The combination with a mail-box having upper and lower openings, partitions arranged within the box and forming a contracted throat, cams at the sides of the box,-

said cams extending through the throat, auxiliary cams, a mail-bag having closing-strips, the ends of which project beyond the sides of the bag and engage with the cams, and spring-tongues carried by the cams and serving as supports for said strips.

1 1. The combination with a mail-box having an upper receiving-door, and a lower delivery-door, of partitions arranged within the box and forming a contracted throat, pivotally-mounted fingers normally closing the throat, and yieldable on the insertion of the mail-matter, a door or cover for closing the upper opening, a finger-locking flap, and

means for connecting the door or cover to the In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

PETER A. SHELEY.

Witnesses:

J. H. JocHUM, Jr., FRANK S. .APPLEMAN. 

